Common Criteria certification assures that certified devices are independently evaluated and verified to meet fundamental security requirements specified in the Protection Profile. The current CC certification targets the new Mobile Device Fundamentals Protection Profile (MDFPP) of National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP) published in October 2013, which addresses the security requirements of mobile devices for use in enterprise. The components certified in CC form a strong cryptographic foundation on which more advanced KNOX security features are implemented. This certification validates s that enterprises can safely provide their workers access to networks and high-value information assets using CC-certified Galaxy devices with KNOX embedded.

"This endeavor is about more than security, but rather on the noble pursuit of driving the entire mobile ecosystem to bring the enterprise customer a better high-assurance solution than they have ever had access to," said Injong Rhee, Senior Vice President of KNOX Business, IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics.

Common Criteria (CC) certification is officially documented by Gossamer Labs of Catonsville, MD.

"In my twenty-five years doing security evaluations, rarely have I seen a company that could complete an entire Common Criteria evaluation, from the very first meeting to complete, in under four months", said Jim Arnold, Director of Gossamer Security Solutions. "At Gossamer we pride ourselves on our responsiveness and Samsung's speed and agility as a company certainly challenged us."

The first certification was performed on select Samsung handsets and tablets, and will be available across a range of Samsung devices starting in Q2/2014.